Ég finn ekki skrúfjárnið mitt, svo ég spyr hana hvort hún eigi annað verkfæri.

I can’t find my screwdriver, so I ask her whether she has another tool.

Breakdown of Ég finn ekki skrúfjárnið mitt, svo ég spyr hana hvort hún eigi annað verkfæri.

• ég: I
• eiga: to have
• ekki: not
• hún: she
• spyrja: to ask
• minn: my
• svo: so
• finna: to find
• annar: another
• hana: her
• hvort: whether
• verkfærið: the tool
• skrúfjárnið: the screwdriver

Questions & Answers about Ég finn ekki skrúfjárnið mitt, svo ég spyr hana hvort hún eigi annað verkfæri.

Why is it Ég finn ekki ... and not Ég ekki finn ...?

In a normal main clause, Icelandic places the finite verb early (a “V2” tendency): Ég finn. The negation ekki typically comes right after the finite verb (and after the subject if the subject is first): Ég finn ekki ....
So the usual order is: Subject – finite verb – ekki – (rest).

What exactly is skrúfjárnið (and why does it end in -ið)?

skrúfjárn means screwdriver (literally something like “screw-iron/tool”).
skrúfjárnið is the definite form: the screwdriver. Icelandic commonly attaches the definite article to the end of the noun:

• skrúfjárn = a screwdriver
• skrúfjárnið = the screwdriver

The ending -ið is the definite ending for many neuter nouns in the singular nominative/accusative.

Why is the possessive mitt placed after the noun: skrúfjárnið mitt?

In Icelandic, possessives very often come after a definite noun:

• skrúfjárnið mitt = my screwdriver (literally “the screwdriver my”)

You can also put the possessive before the noun, but then the noun is usually indefinite and the structure changes:

• mitt skrúfjárn = my screwdriver (more like “a screwdriver of mine” / less “the specific one”)

Why is it mitt and not minn or mín?

The possessive must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.
skrúfjárn is neuter singular, and here it’s the object of finn (accusative; but neuter singular looks the same in nominative/accusative), so you get:

• masculine: minn
• feminine: mín
• neuter: mitt ✅

What does svo mean here, and are there other ways to say “so”?

Here svo means so / therefore / and so linking the two clauses:

• ..., svo ... = “..., so ...”

Other common options (with slightly different tone/structure) include:

• þannig að = “so that / so” (often a bit more explicit)
• þess vegna = “therefore / because of that” (more “therefore” than “so”)

Why is it ég spyr hana—what case is hana, and why?

hana is accusative (feminine singular) of hún.
The verb spyrja commonly takes the person you ask in the accusative:

• að spyrja einhvern (ACC) = to ask someone
  So: ég spyr hana = “I ask her”.

Do I need um with spyrja (like “ask about” in English)?

Not necessarily. Icelandic has both patterns depending on what follows:

• spyrja einhvern um eitthvað = ask someone about something
• spyrja einhvern hvort / hvað / hvenær ... = ask someone whether/what/when ... (no um needed)

Your sentence uses an indirect yes/no question (hvort-clause), so um is not used.

What is hvort, and how is it used in hvort hún eigi ...?

hvort introduces an indirect yes/no question and means whether/if (in the sense of “whether,” not conditional “if”):

• Ég spyr hana hvort ... = “I ask her whether ...”

In Icelandic, hvort is very common in reported questions like this.

Why is the verb eigi and not á?

á is the present indicative form (“she has/owns” in a straightforward main clause): hún á.
In indirect questions (especially after hvort), Icelandic often uses the subjunctive: hún eigi. This is a very typical, standard choice in careful Icelandic.

So:

• direct: Á hún annað verkfæri? = “Does she have another tool?”
• indirect: ... hvort hún eigi annað verkfæri. = “... whether she has another tool.”

Why is the word order hvort hún eigi ... and not hvort eigi hún ...?

In the main clause, Icelandic often has a V2-style order, but in a subordinate clause (like one introduced by hvort), the word order is typically:

• conjunction – subject – verb – ...
  So: hvort hún eigi ... is the normal subordinate-clause order.

What does annað agree with, and why does it look like that?

annað means another and it must agree with the noun it describes.
verkfæri is neuter singular, so you get the neuter form annað:

• masculine: annar
• feminine: önnur
• neuter: annað ✅

Is verkfæri singular or plural here, and why doesn’t it change much?

Here it’s singular: annað verkfæri = “another tool.”
verkfæri is a neuter noun, and in neuter nouns the nominative and accusative singular often look identical—so you don’t see an obvious case change in this sentence.